This disclosure relates to a conditioned air delivery system for a vehicle seat and an adjustable duct for the system.
It is increasingly desirable to provide a more finely tuned thermally conditioned environment for vehicle occupants. As a result, it is common for vehicle seats to be conditioned in some manner. One example conditioned seats utilizes conditioned air supplied to an air distribution plenum beneath an aesthetic seat cover. Conditioned air is supplied from a conditioned air source to the air distribution plenum, which expels the conditioned air through perforations in the cover adjacent to a seated vehicle occupant.
One challenge in such a seat air conditioning system is the delivery of air to a seat that is adjustable with respect to its support structure. One approach has been to connect a relatively long flexible duct from the conditioned air source to a blower supported by the seat. As the seat is adjusted fore/aft or up/down, the flexible duct may become somewhat pinched, which may obstruct the flow of conditioned air to the seat. To address this potential problem, a reticulated foam or porous material is provided in the flexible duct to make the flexible duct less susceptible to collapsing during seat adjustment.